Patent Application
20140250593
The present invention relates to systems and methods for portable configurable furniture. In particular, the invention relates to portable, lightweight and collapsible stable furniture well suited for camping and travelling.
Conventional portable furniture is not truly portable and easily configured for outdoor use and cannot accommodate usage on a hillside or uneven terrain. Examples of such portable furniture include folding chairs, folding tables and folding cots. Generally, the user are unable use most of these furniture comfortably, e.g., to sit comfortably on a hillside or on uneven terrain. Further, the user has to anticipate her/his needs ahead of time, and then lug a complete set of portable furniture into the field.
Thus, there is a need for portable and configurable furniture. These improved portable furniture need to be strong, lightweight, stable, collapsible and configurable, and to be well suited for use in the field, including on uneven terrain often encountered outdoors.
To achieve the foregoing and in accordance with the present invention, systems and methods for constructing portable furniture is provided. In particular, the invention provides portable, lightweight, collapsible, stable and configurable furniture well suited for camping and travelling.
In one embodiment, a portable configurable table includes a collapsible top with one or more optional slats, a collapsible top support frame, a collapsible leg frame and a plurality of leg extenders. The collapsible top support frame provides tension to the top. The collapsible leg frame is operatively coupled to top support frame, and the leg frame includes a plurality of stabilizers and a cross member. The plurality of leg extenders are configured to independently extend from the leg frame thereby providing stability on uneven ground.
In some embodiments, the top support frame includes a couple of hinges and is configured to fold thereby providing compactness when disassembled, and configured to unfold thereby providing tension to the top. The slats can be coupled to the top by adhesive or Velcro. Alternatively, the top can include at least one slot configured to accommodate the optional slats. The top support frame and/or the leg frame can include at least one elastic cord configured to guide assembly.
In another embodiment, a portable configurable cot includes one or more collapsible tops, one or more corresponding pairs of support bars configured to provide support to the tops and at least two legs. Each of the two legs are configured to be operatively coupled to at least one pair of the at least one pair of support bars thereby providing tension to the at least one top.
Note that the various features of the present invention described above may be practiced alone or in combination. These and other features of the present invention will be described in more detail below in the detailed description of the invention and in conjunction with the following figures.
In order that the present invention may be more clearly ascertained, some embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to several embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process steps and/or structures have not been described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure the present invention. The features and advantages of embodiments may be better understood with reference to the drawings and discussions that follow.
The present invention relates to systems and methods for constructing portable, lightweight, collapsible, stable and configurable furniture well suited for camping and travelling. To facilitate discussion,
I. Portable Configurable Tables
As shown in
Referring now to
As shown in the perspective and exploded views of
Note that frame 120 is further stabilized when the bottom protrusions, e.g., male or female, of corner joints 330 are secured to the corresponding mating interfaces located on the top of legs 430. As discussed above, frames 120, 130 can include cords, e.g., cords 372 . . . 378 and cords 472 . . . 478, configured to run through the respective structures and function to pull the bar sections, legs, and/or joints together. The cords 372 . . . 378 and cords 472 . . . 478 can be elastic and/or cords, but may alternatively be any other suitable material such as fabric, plastic, metal, or a metal spring.
The frames 120, 130 can be one of several variations. For example, bars 340 (and/or stabilizers 420) can be cylindrical rods, but may alternatively have any suitable geometry and may have varying geometries along their respective length. The bars are straight or linear bars, but may alternatively be curved, bent, or have any other suitable geometry. The bars can be made of metal (such as 7075 T9 aluminum tubes (and/or rods) with a diameter of approximately 0.4″ to 1.0″ and a wall thickness of approximately 0.03″ to 0.15″), or plastic, but may be alternatively made from any suitable material. The bars may be collapsible or foldable such that they include multiple sections that can be assembled to support the sling and the weight of the user and can be disassembled for easy transportation and storage. Each of the bars can be straight, but may alternatively be curved or angled. Each bar may have the same radius of curvature or angle, but alternatively each bar may have a different radius of curvature or angle. Further, exemplary bars 340 and stabilizers 420 can be a single section or comprise multiple sections.
II. Portable Configurable Cots
In this embodiment, as illustrated by
As discussed above, tops can include slots for suitable inserts. Accordingly when tops are configured for a cot, one or more foam strips can be inserted in the slots of tops, e.g., top 250, for additional support and also to provide insulation in cooler weather. Other suitable supporting and/or insulating materials for the strips are also contemplated. Although three tops are described for cot 500 to accommodate the average user, it is also possible to assemble cots with one top, two tops, and four tops for a toddler, a child and a tall person.
The components of cot 500, e.g., support bars 515 (and legs 530) can be cylindrical rods, but may alternatively have any suitable geometry and may have varying geometries along their respective length. The bars are straight or linear bars, but may alternatively be curved, bent, or have any other suitable geometry. The bars can be made of metal (such as 7075 T9 aluminum tubes (and/or rods) with a diameter of approximately 0.4″ to 1.0″ and a wall thickness of approximately 0.03″ to 0.15″), or plastic, but may be alternatively made from any suitable material. The bars may be collapsible or foldable such that they include multiple sections that can be assembled to support the sling and the weight of the user and can be disassembled for easy transportation and storage. Each of the bars can be straight, but may alternatively be curved or angled. Each bar may have the same radius of curvature or angle, but alternatively each bar may have a different radius of curvature or angle. Further, exemplary support bar 515 can be a single section or comprise multiple sections.
In some embodiments (not shown), legs may be adjustable height-wise to accommodate uneven ground surfaces. Alternatively, rubber bumpers of different thicknesses may also be added to the bottom of legs 530 to accommodate uneven ground. The components of cot 500 may also include cords (not shown) configured to run through the respective structures and function to pull the bars, legs, and/or joints together. These cords can be elastic and/or static cords, but may alternatively be any other suitable material such as fabric, plastic, metal, or a metal spring.
III. Additional Embodiments of Portable Configurable Furniture
The components of exemplary chairs 600, 700 may also include cords (not shown) configured to run through the respective structures and function to pull the bars, legs, and/or joints together. These cords can be elastic and/or static cords, but may alternatively be any other suitable material such as fabric, plastic, metal, or a metal spring.
Many modification and additions to the above described embodiments are also possible. For example, instead of the “fabric-like” top 110 described above, a more “solid” top can be made from strips of a suitable stiff material, such as wood or plastic, suitably “hinged” together along the respective sides, thereby eliminating the need for a supporting fabric-like material.
While this invention has been described in terms of several embodiments, there are alterations, modifications, permutations, and substitute equivalents, which fall within the scope of this invention. Although sub-section titles have been provided to aid in the description of the invention, these titles are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and apparatuses of the present invention. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations, modifications, permutations, and substitute equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
